The application window for the prestigious and highly competitive National Eagle Scout Association scholarships is officially open.

For the first time, NESA will only accept applications submitted online. So forget the printer and stamps and switch on the laptop.

Also new this year is a minimum SAT or ACT score for academic scholarship applicants (1800 SAT or 28 ACT). Like last year, applicants must be members of NESA to apply, but it’s easy to purchase or renew a membership.

NESA will award Eagle Scouts more than 200 academic and merit scholarships, ranging in value from $1,000 to $50,000 each. As always, many will apply but only a select few will receive scholarships.

Before you send the 2014 scholarship application link to Eagle Scouts in your family, troop, team, post, ship or crew, read the following requirements carefully. Some of these have changed from previous years.

2014 NESA Scholarship Requirements

These scholarships are not available to students attending trade schools, two-year colleges or any of the U.S. military academies, because at these academies expenses covered by NESA scholarships are already paid by the U.S. government.

Academic scholarship applicants must apply during their senior year in high school unless the Eagle Scout board of review was held after Dec. 31, 2012. In those cases, the applicant must apply by Dec. 31, 2013, even if he is already attending college.

All academic scholarship applicants must have a minimum 1800 SAT or 28 ACT score to apply. A “superscore” may be used to meet the minimum 1800 SAT requirement

All applicants must be current members of the National Eagle Scout Association to apply. Applicants with memberships that expire on Dec. 31, 2013, are still eligible to apply and invited to renew.

1. Means they might already be Freshman at College this year.
2. Superscore is a combined SAT score from taking the SAT multiple times. Take your Math from 1 test, and your reading from another, etc. But honestly, you should know that already if you are in you or your scout is in their Senior year.

“These scholarships are not available to students attending trade schools, two-year colleges” isn’t this a little bit in conflict the Mike Rowe’s message at Jamboree and at least “slightly disconnected”?

I agree Chad – My Eagle Scout son was on Staff at the Jamboree and heard Mike Rowe’s inspiring message loud and clear. It was given directly to him two weeks before heading off to one of the premier Technical Schools in the County. Apparently the people in charge of Drafting the NESA Scholarship Requirements have a bias for the Eagle Scout Surgeon inserting the new Titanium Vertebrae that the Eagle Scout Machinist made for him. You need to either fix this immediately NESA or stop putting your “Distinguished Eagle Scout” out in front of your target audience.

Mike Rowe came out on the Blaze show “Wilkow” with information about his new scholarship, focusing on kids who don’t want to go to a 4-year college. There are other options. How many NESA scholarships are given out each year?

It is too bad that they have added the SAT and ACT test score requirements, when so many colleges are now dropping this requirement to apply. There are some great Eagles with great credentials and grades who aren’t good test takers! One more scholarship opportunity that is available to a select few that is now available to even fewer!

agree to this one!! Having a SAT and/or ACT minimum is a good idea but suggest it should be revisited. Suggest looking at several different colleges in different categories to determine a good minimum and not many students can afford taking several SATs and ACTs

Agree with you big time on this one! My son struggles with standardized tests. Scouting is so much more than a test score. He gets good grades, is a student and scout leader, will end up an Eagle with 5 palms… Thought there would be some scholarships available to him that recognized his scouting career as developing a well rounded young leader. Now, this scholarship is no better than the others he’s shut out of because of standardized test scores. Very disappointing.

OK. Saw a better explanation elsewhere that the standardized test scores only apply to the Academic scholarship. So, we can still apply for a Merit scholarship. That was not entirely clear in the info listed above.

I would assume it is to weed more people out. I’m sure they get so many applicants that they need a way to pick the best. We do the same thing at work when someone is applying for a job. A specific position may say that a degree is not required, but if we get enough candidates that have degrees, those that don’t often don’t even get an interview.
They have probably been doing this scholarship long enough to know that they are going to get plenty of applicants that fall into their new guidelines that they don’t need to waste a kids time who has no shot of getting this.
I don’t mean to be rude – but I would assume that is at least part of their reasoning.

I don’t see a problem with the SAT or ACT requirements. Investing $65 for a possible return of $1000 or $5000 is worth it. Regardless of the opportunity to earn scholarships based on scores, the tests give important information to students and their families. With so many high schools inflating grades these days, students are graduating with 4.0 GPAs but are unable to think critically, write a decent essay or do basic Algebra. The SAT and the ACT indicate where education has been deficient and show areas in which the student may need extra help during the freshman year. Too many ‘honor’ students are entering college thinking they are top notch students, only to find out that they are ill prepared in some areas and many struggle (or fail) the first semester. By allowing for the use of either the ACT or the SAT – not to mention the Superscore – the scholarship committee is giving the scout a choice in which test to take and giving him multiple opportunities to do his best, something an Eagle scout should strive for in every area of his life. As far as the scholarships being limited to 4-year schools, I don’t agree with that decision and hope the committee reviews and revises that limitation. Many students opt to attend a 2-year school to complete Gen Eds and then transfer to a 4-year college or uni. For many of these students, it makes obtaining a BA or BS possible. Not everyone can afford to pay tuition for 4 years at a large uni nor does every student want to assume tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Attending a 2 year school then transferring to a 4-year school is being Thrifty, a principle that has been impressed upon scouts from the time they first learned the Scout Law. Not every scout is going to desire to earn a BA, but may wish to enter a technical or trade field. These boys should have just as much of an opportunity to receive scholarships as those who wish to choose a different path. These scholarships should be available to any scout who has set an educational goal, is doing everything he can to reach that goal and is doing it to the best of his ability.

Bill Steele is the person to talk to about the requirements. Mike Rowe made a great point about starting at a community college for two years and then transferring to a university. You learn a skill/trade you can use to make money for more schooling if you desire. The community colleges do not cost as much and you usually have no more than 35 in the basic core classes instead of 300. Today you can earn your RN certification in two years and then go on a university to earn your BSN and higher degrees while working as an RN.. This quote applies to Mike Rowe’s message:

“An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher. The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”
John Champlin Gardner, Jr. 1933 – 1982
American novelist, essayist, literary critic and university professor

Question: I am a senior, who has not yet earned eagle scout rank, i will not be able to earn the rank until after Dec 31. of course, this time next year, i will have graduated and will already be attending college. will i still be able to apply or the scholarship? or am i out of luck?

I guess because I’m a GIRL and a VENTURER and a SILVER AWARDEE I’m not eligible for this scholarship. That really sucks for all girls who do not have the opportunity it become Eagle Scouts. I have done so much more in the scouting program than many many Eagle Scouts I know. Very sad and unfortunate.

Keep searching Erin, I’m sure there are many scholarships out there for someone as talented and driven as you appear to be. Scholarships are often not open to everyone. They are specific to whom the donor intended.

Browse by Category

Browse by Month

Now on Scoutingmagazine.org

Scouting magazine

Follow Scouting magazine

About

Bryan on Scouting is the official blog of Scouting magazine, a Boy Scouts of America publication. Scouting magazine is published five times a year and is received by 1 million registered adult volunteers.